Synopsis:
Dylan doesn’t have a lot of experience with comfort. His room in the falling-down Village Estates can generously be categorized as “squalid,” and he sure as hell isn’t getting any love from his mother, who seemed to—no, definitely did—enjoy the perks that went along with being the parent of a “cancer kid.”
Now that Dylan’s suddenly in remission, all he’s left with is a lingering OxyContin addiction and a hunger for something—anything—but the life he’s known.
His only escape has been in the form of his favorite video game—World of Warcraft—and the one true friend who makes him feel understood, even if it’s just online. Dylan met Arden playing Warcraft, and now he wants to take her on a real mission, one he never thought he’d live to set out on: a journey to a mysterious ship in the middle of the Salton Sea.
But Arden is fighting her own battles, ones that Dylan can’t always help her win. As they navigate their way west, they grapple with Arden’s father (who refuses to recognize his daughter’s true gender), Dylan’s addiction, and the messy, complicated romance fighting so hard to blossom through the cracks of their battle-hardened hearts.
(Synopsis from Goodreads).
My Thoughts:
I have to admit, I don't ever read the synopses for any of the books I read. I like going into books without knowing anything about them. That way, I can't get spoiled for the plot. Due to that, I thought this book was something completely different when I requested it. There's a web-comic called Looking For Group, and I thought this book was a novelization of that. It wasn't. The two have nothing to do with each other. That being said, once I started to read the book, and got over my initial disappointment about it not being what I thought it was, I did find it enjoyable.
Typically, I'm not a big fan of the road road trip sub genre in young adult books. I find them silly, nonsensical, and unrealistic. For a book about a road trip, Looking For Group wasn't too bad. There were parts (mostly when they were going through the Midwest) where I was so bored that it was hard to concentrate. I had to force myself to push through it. Otherwise, I enjoyed the road trip, which is unusual for me.
I did love the LGBTQ+ representation in Looking For Group. I thought that Rory Harrison did a great job of writing a transgender character. She also did a great job of explaining what it means to be transgender, for those that might not know much about it. I learned a lot about transgender people from this book. I think that others will too.
Once I got past the boring parts of Looking For Group, I found myself really enjoying the book. I will probably read more of Rory Harrison's future books when they are released. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, geeky read with diverse representation. I also recommend this book to anyone who plays online mmos, like World or Warcraft, or League of Legends.
I give Looking for Group: 3/5.
Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.roryharrison.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/r0ryharris0n
I received this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.
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